When I Grow Up
by USxArthurxKirklandxUK
Summary: At the age of four, Len boldly declared that, when he grew up, he wanted to be Kaito’s bride. Ten years later, Kaito wonders if that’s still what Len wants to be. Ficlet, KaitoxLen


When I Grow Up…

Summary: At the age of four, Len boldly declared that, when he grew up, he wanted to be Kaito's bride. Ten years later, Kaito wonders if that's still what Len wants to be. Ficlet, KaitoxLen

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"When I grow up, I'm going to be famous," Miku declared, completely out of nowhere. She swung her legs, licking a Popsicle. All around her were the other kids from her neighborhood – Meiko and Kaito, who were both older, and the twins from next door, who were a year younger than her.

Kaito smiled widely. "That sounds like a great idea! I think I want to write music. What about you, Meiko?"

"Hm…" Meiko looked thoughtful. "I really don't know. Maybe dancing?"

"Rin, what about you?" Kaito asked, smiling at the small blonde girl.

Rin tapped her chin in thought. "I want… I want to sing!" she said confidently. "I'll be a singer!"

Kaito laughed. "That does sound fun! I'd love to do that, too. What about you, Len?" he asked, looking at Rin's younger twin.

Len smiled brightly. "That's an easy one! When I grow up, I want to be Kaito-nii's bride!"

Rin put her hands on her hips. "Len! You can't do that!"

"What?" Len asked, confused. "Why not?"

"Because! You're a boy," Rin scoffed. "Silly!"

"But… But that's what I want to be…" Len said quietly, looking crushed – as if his lifelong dream had become a mere lie.

"Boys can't be brides," Rin pointed out, expression softening. "But don't worry! That just means that when you grow up, a pretty girl will be _your_ bride!"

Len didn't seem at all comforted, and just sent a forlorn look towards his blue-haired elder.

Kaito smiled obliviously. "Don't worry, Len! When I get older, I promise, you can be my bride!"

Rin stared at him for a moment, and then shook her head, leaning closer to Miku. "Boys are so weird," she whispered. Miku nodded in agreement.

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Kaito shook his head, wondering just where that memory had come from. He'd been only 7 or 8 at the time. He blushed at the memory. He'd really been a dolt back then, hadn't he? Then again, according to Meiko, that had never changed.

He looked over his shoulder, seeing Len at a nearby computer, typing away. He was working on some kind of poem; song lyrics, maybe?

"_You're all that I need", what does that mean?_

_My body hurts… from laughing so hard_

_It seems that they're only used to forget?_

_The bitter taste of hot, burning SPICE,_

_Just this once, I'll let you have some._

_Because I know that you're taken with it, my taste,_

_And doesn't it make you love it even more?_

Kaito blinked at the lyrics. They seemed so… strange. Almost like they were written by a playboy or something – not at all Len's personality.

"Ne, Len?"

Len looked over at him curiously. Kaito noticed that he was wearing his glasses. Len normally didn't wear them, and only wore them when he was reading or writing. He didn't dislike them, but he preferred to look at Len's eyes when they weren't distorted by the glass.

"What kind of song is this?"

Len thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno. I just started writing… I guess it sounds kind of weird, huh?" He laughed.

Kaito re-read the first line from the visible lyrics. "It's not that… It's more like… Well, almost sad. Like it's written by someone who doesn't know what love is."

Len jumped slightly, but waved it off, laughing. "Onii-chan! What are you saying!" he said, waving a hand impatiently. "Of course I know what love is!"

"Loving your sister and being in love are different things," Kaito pointed out. "Or could you honestly tell me that you think only of Rin when she isn't around?"

Len didn't reply. That was enough of an answer for Kaito.

Wanting to help the boy understand this emotion, to allow him to write about it more truthfully, Kaito smiled widely and continued, "See… love is when you think of that person when they're not around, where you want… no, need… to see them, to have them near you. And you want to be with them forever."

Len smiled wryly. "That's love, huh…? A rather selfish emotion…"

Kaito tilted his head. "You think so…?" he said. "I suppose it could be. But it's okay to be selfish sometimes."

"You really think so, Kaito-nii?" Len asked, looking up at him with slight surprise.

Kaito nodded eagerly. "Of course! After all, we can't always be selfless."

Len smiled, and stood out of his chair. "Then I'll be selfish for once," he smiled.

Kaito blinked. "Eh? Len, you shouldn't willingly just be—"

Len leaned forward, giving Kaito a small peck on the lips. Kaito turned a bright red. "L-Len?"

"I took something I wanted: my first kiss to be with Kaito-nii," Len said, innocently. "You said it was alright to be selfish sometimes, right…?"

Kaito gulped, glancing away. The silence was awkward. Len hadn't moved, and Kaito hadn't replied.

"Nii-san…? Are you angry with me?"

"No… I just… thought of that time. When we were kids. And you said you wanted to be my bride when you grew up…" Kaito muttered, turning red.

Len chuckled, grabbing a glass of water from next to his computer and making his way to the kitchen. "That hasn't changed, you know."


End file.
